Old wounds
by MegWitcher
Summary: It's been over two years since Edward left Bella, and she has begun to hate the Cullens for their inaction. As she finds an ally in Victoria and her growing army, how will the Cullens react to the twisted and vengeful version of their beloved Bella? - Maybe some character death further along
1. Scars

**Disclaimer: All the characters of the Twilight universe are the property of Stephenie Meyer. This is a work of fan-fiction and intended for purely the purpose of entertainment.**

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A cool autumn breeze flitted through the trees around me, stirring the scent of rotting leaves and moss into the air. The small clearing in front of me was warm with the afternoon sun so rarely seen on the Olympic peninsula. I stopped to cough and catch my breath, waiting.

A life for a life. I had made this decision before, almost three years earlier; in another state, with another vampire, in exchange for another life. Arizona, James, Renee. That one had ended in a broken leg and a concussion.

This time there would be no last minute rescue, by vampires or wolves. I had taken careful steps to ensure that the Quileutes did not have a chance to interfere as they had when Laurent came for me. That one had ended in seven broken bones and both of my lungs collapsing.

A slash of red-hair stepped out from the browns and greens of the forest. Washington, Victoria, Charlie. This one would be the end of me.

I coughed a deep wheeze and pressed my back against a tree on the edge of the clearing, sliding into a sitting position on the ground with another cough, 'Hello Victoria'

'Bella'

'The wolves aren't here'

She smirked to herself, 'Thank you, that's very much appreciated'

'And neither are the Cullens' I frowned; their name left a bad taste in my mouth.

'Their mistake' Her smile had twisted into a sadistic grin.

'They left. They didn't want me anymore'

She tilted her head to the side with a mocking pout, 'You and _Edward_ were so very close though?'

I sighed and devolved into another cough, she waited patiently.

'Apparently not enough for him to want to keep me'

'Evidently. And they just left you here? All alone without any protection?' She was tiptoeing back and forth in a wide arc around me, apparently suspicious.

'We weren't mates Victoria, I was just a toy to them – I doubt they'll care if I die'

She smirked again, 'Trying to convince me to let you live?'

Her eyes narrowed as I shook my head meekly.

I was shocked by the calmness in my voice, 'No, just make it quick please'

She was suddenly standing right in front of me, her hand an inch from my throat, 'So that's it, no fight, no pleading, just _"make it quick"_?'

I opened my mouth to reply but collapsed in another coughing fit.

She observed me with a scrutinizing stare for a moment and then frowned, 'you're sick. I can hear the fluid in your lungs'

I nodded weakly as I gasped for air between coughs.

'No thanks to Laurent' I couldn't help but let out a raspy laugh, 'Turns out being punted through a tree by a vampire isn't very healthy' I laughed resignedly, 'these infections'll kill me before I even finish college – you'll only be speeding up the inevitable'.

I undoubtedly would have died on the forest floor if Jacob hadn't ran me to the highway at a pace I was sure had broken several world records. Despite that, there was only so much modern medicine could do.

She stood in silence for a moment. The sound of my quiet wheezing and the occasional crackle from my chest filled the air.

'Why haven't they just changed you?' Her brow knitted together as she stared at something beyond me, evidently trying to re-piece together a puzzle she thought she had built correctly the first time.

'I told you, they don't care; they never did. I was just a toy that they got bored with'

She glared at me and spoke in a menacing whisper, 'They killed James for you'

I could only shrug, 'Honestly, Victoria – I don't really understand why they did that'

'You're lying'

'If they cared anything for me, wouldn't they be here by now?' I sighed, 'Alice is gifted, she –'

'I know about the girl's visions'

The confusion must have been clear on my face.

'Laurent learned about them in Denali, he also said you were gifted – immune to Edwards ability'

'Oh,' that traitorous bastard – after the Cullens had let him leave in confidence, 'Well, the Cullens aren't here are they? They weren't there when Laurent came for me, they weren't there at the beach in La Push, in fact I haven't so much as heard from them in over two years. Have you considered why that is?'

She narrowed her eyes.

'They don't care, Victoria,' I had long since resigned to that fact. I let out a deep cough, 'either they've known and haven't done anything or haven't even bothered to watch in the first place'. I scowled as the last of the words spilled out, having never really put it into words before.

I had begun to resent the Cullens, since long before Laurent found me and even more so now that I was doomed to a half-life – to waste away in a hospital bed somewhere in the near future due to their inaction. They _could_ have saved me from Laurent; they _could_ have helped pay for the hospital bills, which Charlie was now working himself to death trying to cover, they _could_ still save me. And yet there I was having spent two years of dealing with the looming prospect of death. And now, as it stood right in front of me, I faced it alone – because of them; because of _him_. The thought of Victoria catching up with _him_ had once terrified me; but now I felt a sick twist of pleasure at the prospect.

The words tumbled out before I even realized I was speaking, 'Laurent said they were in Ithaca'

She nodded, 'He told me. But why are _you _telling me?'

I could feel a sick grin spread across my face.

She laughed, 'It seems they have a habit of making enemies'

I laughed until I began coughing again.

She eyed me curiously, 'they aren't living as a single coven at the moment. Why would they split up?'

'They split up every few years. Best I could gather Carlisle and Esme pretty much always stay in the country but Rosalie and Emmett usually go travelling. Jasper and Alice could go either way but I know Jasper is close with a nomad pair; Peter and Charlotte. Maybe they're staying with them. And in… _his _case, I really don't know'

She began pacing, twirling her finger in a tousle of her hair thoughtfully, 'Tell me about them; what are they like, which are the fighters, other vampires they're close with'

And so I did. I explained every vampire friend they ever mentioned, how each of the Cullens came to be and how they ended up in Forks, their treaty with the wolves – although I skipped over much of the information about the wolves. I owed them that much.

She brought me some water from a nearby stream as my cough started to make speaking difficult and eventually came to sit cross-legged in front of me, listening intently and prompting for more information on subjects that peaked her interest. I was amazed at how little guilt I felt for divulging all this, and I was even more amazed by how _good_ it felt. How _good_ it felt to know the Cullens would get what was coming to them. There were some, such as Esme who I did feel guilt over, but for all the '_motherly-concern'_ she had shown me, where was she when it mattered? Or what about Carlisle and his _'all life is precious' _bullshit that apparently only mattered when it was convenient. The same went for the rest of them too.

Eventually we circled around to what had happened in Phoenix. She listened with a vacant stare after asking what I could remember of the night in the ballet studio. When I was finished, she slowly reached out her hand, delicately grasping my wrist, carefully pushing back my sleeve with her thumb to view the scar that James had left me with. The skin of her hand was like ice everywhere it touched me except for the scar. As her thumb graced across my skin, slowly tracing the contours of James's bite, her skin felt soothingly warm.

Slower than even human speed, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the scar in a gentle kiss. Her face was a mask of sorrow as she rose; 'I can still smell his venom'

To be honest, I couldn't bring myself to blame Victoria for hunting the Cullens and for coming after me. They'd ruined _my_ life because they wanted a plaything. They killed the love of _her_ life because _their_ _toy_ was threatened.

We sat in silence for what felt like an age.

'I'm sorry for all that's happened, Victoria. I truly am. I never meant for anyone to get hurt, I just… I didn't understand what I was getting involved with' and I meant it. This woman had been through hell because I was a naive child, fooled by promises of fairy-tale endings by someone who never intended to follow through. She gave a small nod in acknowledgement.

I broke out into another coughing fit as I finished the last of the water.

'Now that you have me, can you give me your word you won't hurt Charlie and Sue?' Promises had been broken before but at this point what choice did I have? I had nothing left to bargain over, she already had my life. I just hoped the sentiment had carried enough weight that she would follow through on our deal.

She nodded, still staring at my scar. Thank god.

Something sickly washed over me. I could have quashed it down but the sheer weight of what impending death made me numb to all but one thing. Anger, 'Just one more thing Victoria'

She looked up at me with a deadpan expression.

I stared at her with all the steel I cold muster, 'Make them _suffer'_

She gained a resolve in her eyes and grinned. I felt a quick breeze blow past my face and then she vanished from the clearing, blurring off into the forest.

I watched after her for a minute wondering if she had decided not to kill me after all.

There was a small tugging sensation, like a pinprick growing in intensity on the side of my neck. I quickly raised my hand to the area, finding it damp with blood – a searing heat lurched into my chest and up into my head as I collapsed onto my side in agony.


	2. Fire and blood

**Disclaimer: All the characters of the Twilight universe are the property of Stephenie Meyer. This is a work of fan-fiction and intended purely for the purpose of entertainment**.

* * *

The flames licked into every corner of my being, forcing their way into every bone and cell as the venom worked. I had long since lost track of time; my heartbeat was the only indication that I even still existed in the real world and not some fiery plain of hell.

I wasn't sure what my limbs were doing, whether I was thrashing about or lying still, floating in the air or sinking into the ground; the heat consumed every sense.

I'd had a trial of this before – courtesy of James – and even that was a walk in the park by comparison. Back then I could retreat from it – mentally distance myself from the burn in my hand. But now that it was everywhere, there was nowhere left for me to run to.

I focused on memories, trying to force myself back into half-remembered moments from years ago, when I had never imagined pain like this could have even existed. Random moments flashed by, I grasped onto anything I could, and held it –_ lived it_ – for as long as I could stand before the pain ripped it from my clutches. _Sitting on the floor of the kitchen as mom hopelessly tried to braid my hair a few months before I left for Forks – Watching football on the couch with Charlie while we ate in silence on some random summer night – A long forgotten conversation with Angela about a book report – The final words __**he **__said to me – Charlie looking ten years older as the doctor gave my prognosis._

When a memory wasn't lucid enough to distract me, I counted my heartbeats, pausing and resuming as new memories blew across my consciousness.

Eventually I began to gain some semblance of the world going on around me; the muffled tweet of a bird, a strong gust of wind through the trees. Over time, the sounds grew sharper, more intense, as I began to comprehend the myriad of other things going on around me.

As the last of my memories became murky and distant I began to focus on the bird. It would disappear from time to time before returning to the same tree about twenty yards away some time later. Soon enough I could make out its rapid heartbeat, like the banging of a tiny drum, as it flitted to-and-fro overhead; then the delicate patter of its feet as it landed on a branch and the whoosh of air as it flight once more.

After what felt like an eternity, the fire began to recede, starting in the very tips of my fingers. It was such a minute difference that I wondered if I could be imagining it at first; finally losing my sanity. But as the same sensation worked it's way past my fingernails, a similar feeling began in my toes. I sighed inwardly in relief and immediately cursed my loss of focus as the pain clawed for my attention once more.

Agonizingly slowly, the fire retreated up past my forearms and up through my legs. And though I had thought worse was impossible, it began to grow in intensity in my chest – twisting and wrenching my already charred heart and lungs.

My heart took off as the venom receded further from my extremities and seemed to force its way back towards my core. Soon, the beats came so fast it almost sounded like a single tone as the fire released my abdomen and shoulders, leaving only my heart and lungs with the searing heat.

There was a surge in the agony as I felt my back arch upwards. The beats dropped their pace, slowing to a quiet murmur. Soon after, there was a quiet sputtering sound and a choked thud as my heart beat for the final time – the last of the flames dying with it.

For a second, all I could register was the lack of heat. I took a breath.

The air was rich with the moisture of fresh rain. I was surprised at the number of scents I could pick out purely by taste as the air flowed through my mouth – damp earth, fallen leaves, wet moss, sap, oak, pine needles, and innumerable ones I couldn't place.

There was a searing pain as the breath reached the back of my throat, as my eyes flew open in response. My jaw dropped in awe at the world around me. I could see _everything_.

I sat up – Before I even consciously thought about it. I was just suddenly_ up._

Despite being overcast, the forest around me glowed with more colors than I had ever imagined, every tiny speck of water of every leaf glowed like a miniature rainbow that included a faint eighth color I didn't have a name for. I could see the bugs in the air for a good hundred yards and _hear_ every one of them.

There was a quiet thump as something landed behind me. I spun around before the sound even finished echoing in my ears, immediately springing into a defensive crouch. A quiet snarl reverberated through my chest.

Victoria was rising from her landing, having dropped from a still swaying branch in the canopy above, 'Well, I'd be lying if I said you didn't turn out pretty,' her voice flowed like smooth honey, magnitudes more beautiful than when I had heard her as a human.

I stayed low to the ground, taking a step backwards to put some distance between us.

Her hands raised in an _I surrender_ motion as a smirk pulled at her lips, 'I wouldn't have bothered changing you if I intended to kill you Bella,' she leaned against the trunk of a tree in a purposefully casual manner as she folded her arms, 'I'd like you to see this as an opportunity, darling'

I stared her down.

She sighed, 'I want Edward dead, the rest of the Cullens too but I'll keep my sights narrowed on him for now. You're gifted. Correct?'

'Yes, I'm immune to Edwards gift' my hand shot up to my mouth; the voice I had spoken with flowed from me like liquid silk; thick and sultry, nothing like my own. As I lowered my hand I looked at it for the first time; clean of any blemishes, my skin glowed like perfect porcelain vase.

'I know this is a lot to take in all at once, Bella' she took a step forward at human speed, 'but it just didn't seem right for me to let you waste away in hospital somewhere. Especially when I thought we might be able to come to an agreement of sorts' her face had softened but her eyes betrayed a hint of excitement.

I studied her carefully; realistically, I knew without a doubt that she hadn't changed me out of pity; she saw an opportunity to further her revenge plot and took it. "_Not with such a valuable gift and such a burning resentment for a common enemy"_ would probably have been more fitting conclusion to her sympathies. Despite that, there was a huge part of me that wanted to hug her and thank her for giving me a second chance at life. A life that _Edward_ and the rest of the Cullens cut painfully short. I took another breath, more deeply this time, savoring the feeling of being able to clearly fill my lungs for the first time in months. I may have jumped from one half-life to the next but at least this one came without an expiry date on my existence – and set me on equal footing to stand against the Cullens.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought, 'you don't need to ask for my help. You've got it. Even if I didn't owe you for saving me, I'd want in on this anyway'

Excitement spilled across her face.

'You can have Edward for yourself on one condition, Victoria'

'Oh?'

'I want to speak with him before you kill him. I want him to know what he did to me, what _they_ did to me. I want all of them to know, and_ then_ you can finish him' that part was true, although I wasn't yet sure if I was willing to follow through on the promise – to let her have Edward to herself.

She spoke with a triumphant smile, 'I can work with that for now. Thirsty?'

The burn grew in intensity as my hand rose again to my throat; it felt like someone was thrusting a burning flare into the back of my mouth. I nodded.

'Just take a breath and let yourself go, you can't go wrong'

A younger me might have been worried of tripping or finding that one in a million way I _could_ go wrong, but feeling like I had _power_ for the first time in a long time filled me to bursting with confidence. I inhaled deeply through my nose. It felt like there were a thousand different smells in the air around me, no two the same. Victoria's was the strongest, a heavy, sweet smell akin to honey and a hint of lilac.

I sorted through the rest, trying to pick out something that felt like it could quench my thirst. I could make out the crisp scent of a stream nearby but it wasn't appealing in the slightest.

Victoria's voice called away my attention for a second; I could almost hear the smile in her voice, 'I left a present for you'

It hit me. A smell so rich and luscious and _warm_ that I was sprinting for it before I even realized I was moving.

Despite flying through the forest at staggering speeds I could avoid every tree and branch in my path with inhuman ease.

The mouth-watering scent was all I could process – how much I wanted it, how much I _needed_ it. Some small part of me knew what Victoria had meant but a larger part kept pushing me forwards; there was no conscience screaming at me to stop, no voice scolding me for what I was about to do, just the raging inferno in my throat. I knew I _should_ stop, turn around and run away – but as the scent grew thicker in the air, I committed to the fact that I didn't _want_ to stop.

Venom pooled in my mouth. I dropped low to the ground and slowed just short of a small clearing; I could see a human form hunched over in the center. There was a small spattering of crimson over his face, steaming in the frigid air as it dripped through his dark hair.

I circled quickly, looking for an angle of attack, and lunged. He didn't even have time to register my presence before I was upon him. My teeth sank into his neck as I grappled him. The ungodly rich taste of his blood filled my mouth. Alice had once compared it to ambrosia, and I was now sure that even comparing it to the drink of the gods was doing it a disservice. The fire in my throat calmed as I gulped down the warm liquid. There was a muffled crunch under my hands and the human went limp.

All too soon the flow slowed to a trickle. I desperately lapped up every drop before regaining some semblance of conscious thought.

I stood and stared at the limp, broken form on the ground before me. It was wrong, so very wrong – I knew that much, but I also knew that I would _absolutely_ want more soon_._ The burn in my throat had dampened down to just a bristle of heat, but I could already feel it begin to ever so slowly creep back towards smoldering warmth.

I spun defensively once more as I heard footfall approaching from behind. A few seconds later Victoria stepped forward, 'Looks like you had fun'

I wiped some of the blood from around my mouth and scowled; an alarmingly loud part of me wanted to lick my hands clean, 'He was a person; he had hopes and dreams and maybe a family. Nothing about taking that away was _fun_'

She scoffed dismissively, 'don't worry, with how often you'll want to hunt in the next few months it'll be good practice for you to feed on people who won't be missed – and most _innocent_ people _are_ missed. Although I'm afraid, Low-life rapists and drugees never taste as good because of the drugs and alcohol' she gestured to the mangled corpse between us.

I shivered at the thought of _good_ people tasting better and quashed the flicker of an ugly impulse as far down as it could go – that was a line I was not willing to cross.

'Who was he?'

'Some scumbag pimp I found in Vancouver. I had to wait for him to stop beating one of his girls before I could get him alone and grab him, like I said; he won't be missed'

I didn't feel _better_ but all of my sympathy for him disappeared. I had smelled a deer on my way over here and I knew that there was no way it could compete with this rapidly developing addiction of mine; I supposed I could manage constraining myself to feeding on low-life humans. But then again, was drinking from criminals not technically the _right_ thing to do anyway? Was it not the inaction of people with power that had driven me to this point already? And if what Victoria said about the man was true then did my act not just significantly improve the life of the woman he hurt, even if it's only for a while? And what about the ones he was _going_ to hurt?

I nodded solemnly to myself. Relieving my cravings by hunting people who brought nothing but pain and suffering into the world – that would offset the lives I was taking tenfold. Kill one; save two more. I could live like that. That wasn't much of a burden to bear.

Still though, I wasn't sure I could trust _her_ judgement on whether or not someone was a bad person – given how her coven mates had treated _me_ in the past. It was probably for the best that I got to pick and choose which humans to kill myself.

'How long until I can start hunting on my own?'

'Maybe three weeks if you have decent self-control – depends on how well you adjust. I'll bring you people to drink for the next few days. After that we'll hunt together somewhere more crowded for a few weeks, but I won't be here for much besides that so you'll have to amuse yourself while I'm not around'

'Where will you go?'

'I can only tell you a little for now so you don't start making decisions that the pixie girl might see. For now just know that you'll be staying here for a few days until you're in proper control of yourself' She handed me a small cell phone, 'try not to break that. Its for emergencies _only_; my numbers already in there. Do not call _anyone _else'

I nodded.

'Hang around here while I go find someone else for you to feed on,' the burn intensified at the thought of more blood, 'I'll be no more than an hour or two'

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A/N: Hello! It was wonderful to see people interested in following the story. I'm busy with work at the moment so chapters may be somewhat sporadic in their release for the next month or so, but rest assured I do plan on following this story to completion (at the moment I have roughly 10 chapters worth of content outlined with room for more). I hope you enjoyed and will continue to do so! Reviews are appreciated!


	3. Independence

**Disclaimer: All the characters of the Twilight universe are the property of Stephenie Meyer. This is a work of fan-fiction and intended purely for the purpose of entertainment**.

* * *

The gentle sound of the rain through the tree canopy flooded my senses. As I peered down from my perch, nestled on a thick branch fifty yards short of the road and gas station, I took a quick breath; scanning the air for any new scents I could make out. It was an unconscious habit, checking every time I arrived somewhere new for a scent I hadn't yet identified and cataloged. Nothing took my interest and I began tapping my feet together in a gentle rhythm, unwilling to sit still as the intense thirst prickled at the back of my throat.

Becoming a vampire had evidently done nothing to make me more patient. It was one of the few things I had always envied about the Cullens, but apparently that was just something that came with time.

Victoria had taken the liberty of faking my death while I had been changing - a horrific accident that had ended with my burning truck wrapped around a rock at the bottom of an small ravine just south of Forks.

Coincidentally, although she had no idea about what I had told the wolves, it worked perfectly with my ruse. I had told Jake I needed a break from Forks and La Push and wanted to take an overnight trip to Portland to visit Angela at college. Of course he had been reluctant at first, it was the first time the wolves had left my side since my not so friendly meet-and-greet with Laurent, but thankfully he caved pretty quickly.

I was glad that it had looked like a genuine accident, things would be hard enough on the wolves without them thinking they had let their guard down again. At the very least it looked like _my_ fault. I felt immensely guilty for leaving them behind after everything they had done for me. They had spent the better part of the last two years risking their lives for me, fighting Laurent and trying to hunt Victoria down – and it had cost them dearly. I cringed at the muddy memories of Paul's distant and panicked yapping as Laurent had crushed him to death.

I glanced up as a white SUV passed on the highway. Not the car I was looking for. I could make out the couple in the front seats; the woman was napping with her head resting against the window. The man stared at the road ahead with a dozy smile, his hand wrapped in hers between them. A young girl snored quietly in the backseat.

I wondered what Charlie was doing at that moment; at a grief-meet maybe? Burying himself in work? Drinking? The one saving grace of my departure this time was that it wasn't on 'bad terms', I hadn't lied or left him with a bad taste in his mouth. I had left him with nothing. Muttered goodbyes as he left for work that morning, neither of us knowing it would be the last time we ever spoke. A scribbled note telling him I was going on an impromptu trip to Portland and would be back to following day. That was all he had left of me now.

I couldn't bring myself to ask Victoria to check on him. For as grateful as I was for her chance, I couldn't trust her not to hurt him or the wolves in the process – and realistically, I didn't even _want_ to know. It had been almost six weeks since my 'death' and the pain in my chest whenever I thought of how this was affecting him was still too much to let myself process. He had lost his only daughter. Well – _that_ had been a looming inevitability on the horizon for _months_ beforehand. A slow, quiet end he may have begun to come to terms with, but to have it happen so suddenly, so _violently_ and without a proper goodbye…

All there was left to do was keep telling myself that he would weather the storm. He was strong. And hopefully with the pack and Billy's support, he could eventually pick up the pieces and begin to build something new.

I huffed and sighed deeply as the grief began to twist into rage again. The times when Victoria left to hunt or go to Seattle had grown longer in recent weeks and my boredom had only intensified. As a result my mind often wandered to planning my revenge on the Cullens for forcing me onto this pathway.

Victoria had only recently informed me of her army – one which I was to join relatively soon – and all of the little lies she told to keep them in check, and that _I _would also need to act like they were true. They mostly consisted of the traditional Dracula rule set plus a few extras.

It seemed so strange to me that the newborns would so readily believe something so easily disproven - even if they had no prior knowledge of actual vampires - although Victoria had insisted that she had it under control, but with the way she had said it, I couldn't help but wonder if there was more that she wasn't telling me.

I _did_ believe that the reason she had kept me away from them for so long was because she valued my gift and wanted to make sure I wouldn't get killed. Her mouth had twitched at the end of telling me that, as though she struggled to stifle the '_yet_' at the end.

It wasn't hard to see why so didn't see us working out long term. I hadn't exactly been the picture of serenity recently and probably wouldn't be anything soon. I was dreading having to deal with a dozen other vampires who were just as volatile as me. Even as a human my temper had gotten the better of me more than a few times – and unfortunately, my temper was one of the many things that had gotten more intense with the change.

Despite my reservations, I was in no mind to turn tale and run – not if it meant losing my shot at Edward_._ I very much doubted that I would ever have a fighting chance like this again short of going to the Volturi – although that was a huge risk given how little I knew about them.

My promise to let Victoria have Edward to herself may have been somewhat genuine at the time, but any notion of fulfilling it had melted away over the past month and a half. From what little I knew of Victoria's plans I had already started concocting my own ways to circumvent her. Whether it meant killing her myself or getting someone else to do it was yet to be determined.

I smiled to myself as the faded white sedan I was looking for limped into the parking lot. A pebble and the sharp flick of my wrist a few miles back down the highway had left the front right side of the car a little closer to the ground. Even from here I could hear the damp hiss of the gradually deflating tire.

The skinny figure behind the wheel fumbled out of the car. I could hear his panicked heartbeat as he surveyed the damage. His head twisted back and forth up the highway before his eyes settled on the gas station, now closed for the night.

I dropped down from my branch, landing on the balls of my feet without a sound and drifted through the last of the forest like a shark through water. The sharp taste of the venom pooled in my mouth and my thirst flared.

He was now wandering towards the gas station and fumbled with the thick padlock on the shutters. He stopped for a moment, glancing down at a small box containing yesterday's newspapers. I could have read it from across the lot but I already knew what it said, already knew the face on the front-page – he was standing thirty feet away.

He sniffed loudly and rubbed his nose with his sleeve, before retrieved the paper with a grubby hand and flicking through the article; a grizzly recounting of multiple attacks and rapes.

As difficult as it was to control myself I had managed to retain _some_ restraint and I was proud of the fact that I had mostly kept to my vow to only hunt the dregs of human society. In my short six weeks as a vampire I had probably already had more of an impact on the pacific-northwest crime rates than Charlie had in his entire eighteen years career as a cop.

I stalked around the back of his car and padded across the tarmac in a low crouch.

In the reflection of the gas station windows I could see his face as he read the paper, a smug, twisted grin smeared across it. As he reached the end – it recounted his most recent attack that had left a woman in the hospital after escaping him – he spat on the ground with a grumble, "Next time"

I bolted back behind his car and swallowed down the venom, holding my breath. My throat burned with the intensity of a welding torch but I held myself in place.

I strained my ears for approaching vehicles as the man began wandering back towards his wounded car. I reached underneath until I grasped something that felt important, delicately crushing it in my fist. The highway was a straight shot in both directions and empty as far as I could see.

_Maybe I can afford to drag this one out just a little._

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A/N: Hello again! The rush at work is all over and done with now so i just wanted to do a quick little bridging chapter to get myself back into Bella's head-space and to help me start writing this story again after being away from it for a few weeks - should be back to semi-regular updates now. Thank you so much for the follows and favs, they means the world! See you soon!


	4. Shared goals

**Disclaimer: All the characters of the Twilight universe are the property of Stephenie Meyer. This is a work of fan-fiction and intended purely for the purpose of entertainment**.

* * *

I sat cross-legged near the top of a tall pine tree. The dog-eared copy of Frankenstein in my hands was damp and warped despite my best attempts to keep it dry. I had tried to scavenge some books over the past few weeks from nearby cars and buildings with marginal success, and the conditions of my temporary forest home weren't exactly the primary habitat for them. The rain was a near constant at this time of year, which meant that I had to get creative with how and where I stored them, and only read them during the rare breaks in the weather.

The morning air was crisp and thick with fog, but thankfully – for the moment – clear of rain, although I was rushing to finish as the wind begin to pick up and the pressure start dropping again.

I glanced away as delicate footsteps on the forest floor fifty feet below caught my attention. The wind was working in my favour and even from high in my perch I caught the now familiar scent of honey and lilac.

'Bella?'

My name drifted up through the trees with a familiar tone. As wary as I was around her, Victoria was pretty much my only distraction from the perpetual boredom and I couldn't help but feel a little excited for the company, however brief it may be. Hunting was my only other muse and as such I had taken to savouring my hunts a little more recently, taking my time – although that only killed a few hours every few days.

I had learned more than a few things about the human condition in those rich hours and some questionable things about being a vampire – like people tasting _so_ much better when they were scared. Something about the mixture of adrenaline and sheer _terror_ enriched the already heavenly taste of their blood so much more – like a jolt of electricity through their bloodstream – and as a result the hunt became so much more enjoyable when I dragged it out and 'played' with them a little before I indulged. I swallowed down the venom pooling in my mouth.

'I'm not coming up there, Bella'

I closed the book and delicately nestled it inside my jacket and edged myself off the branch, enjoying the sensation of the cool air whipping across my skin as I dropped forty feet to the forest floor without a sound.

Her slim frame rested against a tree with her arms folded across her chest; her fiery hair was dark and thick with moisture. The usually layered outfit had been substituted for a simple button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of washed out jeans - she seemed so much more approachablein casual clothes, and a lot less _nomadic psycho vampire_ than I was used to.

I smiled in greeting, and she tipped her head in response, 'we're going to Seattle tonight. You going to need to learn how to defend yourself'

'You're going to teach me?' I couldn't keep the incredulous note from my voice.

'As much as I'm sure you enjoy my company, for now its just to make sure you stay alive long enough for Riley to give you some proper lessons, or get some actual fighting experience – whichever happens to come first'

I swallowed, 'It's that dangerous there?'

'You're actually quite timid for a newborn, I'm more just concerned about your temper landing you in hot water than anything else'

I rolled my eyes.

'You'll be around nine other newborns plus Riley when we get there. Things can get nasty _fast_ if you're not careful with whom you mouth off too. I imagine you'll be helping Riley out too, which could make you a target. Some of them are vicious as hell. You can't come across as weak, or its game over the second you turn your back'

I had been planning to make myself seem as insignificant and submissive as possible on arrival to avoid any conflict, but maybe a more _quiet and steely_ approach could end up being better suited for avoiding being torn apart.

She loped into the centre of a small, grassy clearing nearby. I pulled my jacket off and dumped it behind a nearby tree, and followed obediently a little ways behind, eager not to waste an opportunity to better my odds.

She stopped and turned, 'What do you know about fighting?'

'I've never been in a fight before'

She looked my petite frame up and down with a raised eyebrow, 'Evidently. I mean _vampire_ fighting. Did the Cullens ever talk to you about it?'

'No, they made a point of avoiding whenever I asked'

She scoffed.

'So what do I do exactly? Is this going to hurt?'

'You'll be fine. Just try and defend yourself, I'll come at you like an average newborn would', her face was mostly blank although I could see the hint of a smile on her lips.

'How do I-'

She bolted forwards. I lurched back instinctively, but she quickly slammed into me midair, knocking the air from my lungs. With a loud thump I landed on my back in the dirt.

'Nobody will afford you the luxury of a warning'

I lay stunned for a moment and then hissed at her as she climbed off, 'I'm sorry, _try and defend yourself? _What the hell am I supposed to do with _try and defend yourself_?'

She sauntered back to her starting position and half turned away, casually mussing her hair in an unsuccessful attempt to hide her smirk, 'Just wanted to test your reflexes. I want to figure out the best way for you to fight'

I growled quietly as I clambered to my feet, 'I bet,' and crouched defensively.

As she blurred forward again, I lunged upwards trying to tackle her, but she deftly sidestepped and my momentum sent me flying past her. As I tried to land upright, she whipped out a hand that clamped around my neck and slammed me back into the ground once more. I hadn't realised a vampire could _hurt_ without being physically injured but there was a distinct flash of pain as I crumpled under her grip.

She smiled, 'Sorry, Honey. Newborns – like you – instinctively bank on strength over agility. You stay alive by out-smarting and out manoeuvring them. If you try and take them head on – as small as you are – you will _always _lose'

I rubbed my neck as I clambered to my feet with less grace than usual, 'How? I just panic and stop thinking'

'Try and give yourself some breathing room; if you're up close and personal then it'll be the aggressor's victory – hence your instinct to tackle me. Even if you can just put an extra ten yards between the two of you, it'll make a world of difference'

I backed up.

'You're small and certainly not strong, but you _are_ fast. Use that to your advantage,' She began pacing slowly and I couldn't help but match her steps as we circled each other in a wide arc, trying to maintain the distance in a strange and graceful dance, 'Try and keep a point of contact with the ground at all times to maintain your balance and manoeuvrability, then just focus on avoiding my contact by dodging. Keep that up until you find an opening'

She flashed towards me once more. With the added distance I had a little more time to work out exactly where her momentum was carrying her and a split second before the impact I darted to the side, just outside of her grasp. A small laugh escaped me at the small victory, but she span on a dime and charged again, catching me off guard.

I could taste dirt as she pummelled me into the floor. There was a sharp sting in my arm as she delicately tugged it behind me.

'That's better, but don't get cocky. Keeping calm and focussed is the key, you panicked again when I came around for the second attack'

I nodded and the weight disappeared from my back. She hopped merrily across the clearing to her starting position.

I lay there for a moment longer and spat out a clump of mud, only to see her try and fail to hide her smile again, 'You're having way to much fun with this'

She shrugged and motioned for me to get up, 'Focus Darling. When you find an opening, use their momentum against them – a well-timed throw or swing can finish a fight immediately. Let's go again'

We practiced that a few more times until I could successfully evade her grasp for more than just a few seconds, and then most of the day until I could almost dance around her, waiting for the opportunity to get a decent grip and throw her. She thankfully _explained _rather than demonstrated the best techniques for severing arms and taking off a head.

I couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride as she nodded her head in appraisal at my fast progress. The setting sun cast long shadows, and Victoria's hair shone a brilliant red as wide slashes of orange light flooded into the clearing with a break in the clouds. I dusted myself off, pausing to bask in the warm rays and marvel at the glow of my skin. I had only seen it once before, several weeks prior and only for a fleeting moment as the winter cloud-cover briefly parted.

Victoria smiled, 'It really is something huh?'

I couldn't help but ogle as I flexed my fingers, the diamond like shimmering amplified by the amber glow of the evening. I glanced up to see her staring at me; my jacket in her arms, there was weight of sadness behind her gaze.

I gave her a puzzled look.

She gently shook her head and tossed me my jacket, 'for what its worth, I'm sorry you had to get involved in this whole mess'

'I'm sorry too, but I have the Cullens to thank for my involvement. I don't blame you. If anything I'm in your debt for giving me another chance at life after they took mine away'

She shook her head, turned away and started walking. With a nod for me to follow, she sped up to a run, 'I'm not bothered who you blame, I'll consider us even so long as you don't screw me over'

'You got it' I couldn't help but feel a little guilty at my previous usurping schemes, although it didn't seem wise to stop just yet – a lot could change before we faced the Cullens.

We ran in silence for a few minutes before the distant lights of Vancouver came into view as we crested a small ridge, 'Is it okay if I hunt before we get to Seattle?'

She looked back, 'When did you last feed?'

'Two days ago, but I think it's probably for the best I'm on top of my game when we get there'

'Good idea, you've been pretty good with hunting on your own, I'm impressed I haven't had to clean up any of your messes yet'

A small puddle of shame formed at the back of my mind; the convoluted ways I had killed some of my quarries may have made national newspapers for their brutality if their bodies had ever been found, 'I'm just careful, I guess'

'Good – hopefully you wont have any problems following Riley's rules'

'He makes the _decisions_ right?'

'Yep, you'd do well to shadow him for the first few days, I'll tell him to keep you safe'

'I haven't seen many newspaper articles or anything about people being killed, he keeps the newborns in check pretty well it seems?' I genuinely couldn't even fathom what it would be like to be in a populated city for the first few days after turning, the constant temptation and distractions would have driven me insane. Honestly, it was more than a little intimidating how well they were kept under wraps.

I felt that Victoria and I had something of a kinship developing, and while I was still cautious around her, I did trust her not to hurt me for now. I felt a bit queasy at the prospect of being glued to a stranger all of a sudden – one that could manage to keep ten newborn vampires in check all at once.

'We had some teething problems at first but now we have things under control; he's damn good at what he does now that we're a bit more practiced. He'll hopefully help with training you and finessing your gift if you find the time, he's a much better teacher than I am'

My clumsiness hadn't carried over to my vampire life, but apparently the ghost of it had – I was by no means a natural fighter, but with the practice I had just been given, I might be able to hold my own against a decently skilled opponent. For now though, anyone with more decent training and intent could probably wipe the floor with me. Victoria had quite obviously held back most of her strength so that I could actually try and learn something instead of being beaten down non-stop, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that I couldn't stand a chance against her – _Good to know your limits I suppose_.

'Riley is,' she threw up air quotes, '_my mate, _and as such is quite a delicate matter. With regards to you, as far as _anyone _in Seattle, including Riley, is concerned; you were turned by my friend Laurent as a mate, shortly before the Cullen's killed him when he unknowingly crossed into their lands. You're joining us because you want a shot at revenge. Can you manage that?'

I nodded.

'Good. Embellish all you want to make it sound more realistic just keep me informed on the details. I'll tell Riley that we met for the first time a few days ago, while I was scouting their territory, and we ran into each other. You didn't want to work together at first and so didn't tell me much, but I managed to convince you to change your mind. He knows that the vampire logic we feed to the newborns is a load of crap, and I'll let him know that you're aware of it. Make sure you play along with the sunlight and stuff around other vampire though'

'Okay, I'll keep things vague – feign grief – just to be sure I don't mess up details'

She nodded and her eyes grew dark, 'I don't think I need to warn you about consequences if this goes tits-up. _Keep him on the narrative_'

I nodded, 'We have a mutual investments in keeping things on track here'

She returned an appreciative nod.

So I wasn't just being glued to the scary vampire, I was _lying _to the scary vampire as well. Wonderful.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for all the favs and follows - reviews are appreciated! Do you guys like the text center-aligned or do you prefer left-aligned? I can't decide whether i like the current format or not. ****We're finally getting to Seattle next chapter (which i already have drafted so you won't have to wait long).**


	5. Icebreakers

**Disclaimer: All the characters of the Twilight universe are the property of Stephenie Meyer. This is a work of fan-fiction and intended purely for the purpose of entertainment**.

* * *

I paced around looking for a spot to dispose of my most recent kill. 'so how exactly do you intend to bring the Cullen's back here to Washington? I mean, I'm _clearly_ not enough of an incentive for them to be here'

'It won't be hard, I'll just piss them off enough that they follow me back here', she flashed a wicked smile, 'and lead them right into the lions den'

I wiped the blood from my hands and tossed pulled the body toward a suitable looking tree, 'That doesn't sound like a well thought out plan'

She rolled her eyes with a sigh, 'They're still mostly split up, I have no clue where a few of them are, but I know for sure that Carlisle and his mate are in Ithaca. Neither of them can really fight, so all I have to do is make them feel threatened and the rest of the coven should close ranks around them. Then I just need to leave enough of a trail back to Washington that they'll try and hunt me,' she looked pointedly at me, 'Although, _nobody_ is deciding on anything at all until we're closer to being ready for a fight'

I uprooted the chosen tree, being careful to leave enough roots steadfast in the soil so that the tree would continue to grow and not expose the man's corpse anytime soon.

Victoria quickly bundled the limp form underneath and I nestled the tree back down on the ground.

'That still isn't much of a plan, I mean won't Alice see everything?'

'I have _some_ ideas of specifics, but I can't decide on anything definitively or I _do _risk her anticipating it, but don't worry yourself with the details – just know that they _will _come. Besides, maybe thing's will change in the meantime' she flashed a grin that sent a tingle down my spine, 'Have some faith, Honey'

We took off in a steady sprint south, away from the lights of Vancouver and towards the distant glow of Seattle. The sky was still clear, and masses of stars glittered overhead. There were easily ten times more than I could ever have seen as a human even on the best of nights.

It occurred to me how infrequently I had seen a clear night sky since I left Arizona, and a strange part of me ached with a longing to go back there, to the spot me and Renee had driven to and laid on the roof of her car with a takeout and stargazed into the early hours of the morning. Everything had seemed so cut and dry back then.

I wondered if Renee was looking up at the sky at the same time as I was, seeing the same stars.

Suddenly my senses flared as I caught a scent trail – definitely a vampire but much too faint to distinguish; I looked to Victoria.

She waved a hand dismissively, 'it's just an old one of mine, I haven't been through here in a week or so, and I usually come in from the east, not straight from the city.

We followed the trail as it streaked down the coast for a ways, and then dove into the sea to avoid having to test my control by passing through downtown.

The night had taken on a bitter chill by the time we had made our way back onto land at the edge of the industrial district on the south side of Seattle. I followed closely behind as we stalked across the quiet streets. The air was awash with the stale scent of humans, and the general decay of trash in the area was uncomfortably strong. Passing several railway lines, and heading a mile or two through a sparse forest, we eventually drew upon a cluster of disused buildings.

I reflexively tensed up as we crossed several vampire scents – both old and new – almost immediately.

If Victoria noticed my skittishness, she didn't react, and continued forward.

We passed several large pieces of disused machinery as we circled around to the back side of the site, with much of the metal and brickwork drenched in rust, off-coloured moss and scatterings of graffiti. I soon enough put together that this was a disused sawmill as we passed two huge, circular saw blades resting against a wall; half sunken in the ground they rested on.

Considering how old the place seemed, the smell of freshly cut wood was strangely strong in the air, and I noticed a number trees looked as though they had been almost blown apart several feet above the ground, leaving nothing but a shattered stump and a mess of wood chunks. There was a recently disturbed, suspiciously blade shaped divot in the ground near the other two blades, which implied there had originally been three saw blades resting there until very recently.

Victoria seemed to come to the same conclusion as me and shook her head with a sigh, '_seriously?'_

For as stupid as I felt, trying to wing an eight-foot-tall saw-blade, like a Frisbee, through trees actually did seem like a fun idea to try as a vampire.

I shook my head and honed in on several voices ahead that were much too smooth to be human, 'So, this is it?'

She nodded, 'we'll keep our distance for now, while I introduce you to Riley. I don't like dealing with them directly if I can help it,' a look of mild disgust clouded her features and she tacked on a half-hearted excuse as an afterthought, 'in case a certain someone is watching my future'

We stalked up to the roof of the tallest building of the bunch and peered down into a small courtyard in the centre of the buildings below us.

Six pale forms were spread about the space; three of which were raucously arguing in the centre. A large male vampire lounging alone in the far corner immediately caught my attention. He glanced up at us and fixed a death glare on me as I quickly looked away.

The smell of human blood clung to the air strongly enough that I had to stop breathing for a moment to compose myself. Several chunks of viscera were scattered about the area and two of the three squabbling vampires were coated head to toe in crimson splattering. A mangled and shattered human corpse lay near their feet, and what I assumed was the mushy remains of the head lay splayed across the courtyard; long blond strips of hair stained a strange pink by the gore.

'_Christ_', I kept my voice low enough that the other vampires below could not hear, 'Am I really going to be living with _those?_'

She returned the whisper, no longer making any attempt to veil her disgust. 'I'm afraid so. This will come down to a game of numbers – the Cullens are gifted and skilled fighters so we'll need at least double their coven size before we're ready, but Riley needs a second pair of hands to expand further than the ten we already have. As you can see – they're getting to be a bit of a handful already' Her disdainful stare fixed on the two blood-covered vampires – a slender, raven-haired woman and a shorter brunette. They were clearly angling for a fight with the tall, blond male in between them. I could make out the tension in his jaw as he crouched slowly, hissing warnings and then threats as they began circling him.

Victoria leaned in close as the fight began, 'I don't expect you to jump in the middle of _that_ kind of thing; you're too valuable, just try and keep your distance while Riley does the dirty work' I couldn't help but stare in horrified fascination as the two women lunged for the blond guy.

With a flurry of snarls and teeth they collided with a boom, like boulders smashing together, and fought in a blur of movement. My mind drifted to watching brawls in cartoons, where all the forms blurred in a cloud of dust, with the occasional limb sticking out. But the sheer violence of what I was watching now was not hidden from me, and I could only brace against the icy weight in my stomach at the thought of being caught in the middle of something like that. It wasn't just the thought that shook me, but the _inevitability. _I had the uncanny feeling of watching someone standing in front a firing squad, while only standing a few spaces down the line myself.

As the echo of a brutal metallic snap keened up the walls, the small brunette backed away clutching the stump of her arm with a screeching cry. The other woman lunged again.

I could make out the frantic jostling more clearly now that it was just the two of them. The woman was clearly losing; her movements becoming more and more panicked as the male struck her repeatedly like a snake that had already curled around its kill. I flinched as another disturbing snap rang out, and half a second later there was a quiet thump as the woman's severed head hit the floor.

The man dismembered the rest of her with businesslike precision, throwing the pieces into a small pile and tossing a match.

I hissed quietly, '_That _is Riley?'

'Yeah. Things aren't always _quite _this brutal, but there have to be consequences for acting out. If he killed her then I trust there was a good reason for it,' she scowled, 'mostly because he knows how damn hard it is for me to replace them. Although technically, _you're_ her replacement'

'You inspire such confidence'

Riley moved towards the first woman, who was trying to cower behind a pair of onlookers, both of whom quickly scampered away much to her horror. He stopped dead in front of her with a stony expression. The acrid smoke drifted up past us, filtering the scene with a violet hue. The injured vampire stared up, all but shaking in terror as she cradled what was left of her arm.

There was tense silence from the other three in the small courtyard, all of whom seemed to coincidentally find something more interesting to stare at than the psuedo-execution that was taking place right next to them. The quiet sounds of the fire cracking filled the air

Riley slowly crouched down, staring into the woman's face – the _girl's_ face - as she stared up at him with wide eyes. She couldn't have been any older than sixteen, seventeen at the most, and I held my breath, _No older than me back then_ \- _just a stupid kid._

He reached out and gently brushed her face with the back of his hand and spoke with an unnervingly calm tone given what had just conspired, 'Promise me you won't do anything like that again Mia?'

Her eyes dropped to the ground immediately. She squeaked out a reply that I couldn't hear from up on the roof, but Riley seemed satisfied. He rose, noticed the lonely vampires unwavering stare still clamped on me, and followed his gaze, breaking into a warm smile at the sight of Victoria. With a single, powerful bound he leapt three storeys up to our vantage point.

He eyed me for a moment and then moved to embrace Victoria, burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply. She wrapped her arms around him, twisting so that she could give me a warning look over his shoulder, and I nodded minutely in response.

After a moment, Riley untangled himself and looked me over. He had an impressive stature now that I could see him up close, evidently athletic in his human life. He looked about my own age, and his eyes crinkled a little around the edges in a way that gifted him with a warm smile, although there was something about his eyes that scuppered any chance of him being perceived as actually friendly. His irises were a deep burgundy in colour, distinctly different from the wild crimson of a newborn.

He turned to Victoria with a small smile, 'Quite the convenient time for a new recruit' His voice was curious, but crisp and clear.

'Not this one darling, she's an _ally'_ she smiled excitedly as she looked back over to me.

He raised an eyebrow.

She dropped her voice, 'the Cullens are a common enemy of ours, and she's willing to lend her _gift_ to help us'

'She's gifted?' for a split second, his eyes flashed to the lonely male vampire, who quickly averted his eyes. He rested lazily on a low concrete wall, away from the other vampires. If he did have a gift, I guessed it was decently powerful, because despite their quiet squabbling and bickering, none of the other vampires in the courtyard seemed to be paying him any attention. Although his physical size alone could have been enough to deter most from getting on his bad size.

As I surveyed his appearance, I heard the faint sound of ruffling paper from behind him, and strained to see the top of a small, dark head of hair half-concealed behind the wall he was sitting on. He quickly noticed where my attention had been drawn to and his face twisted into a glare that almost made me flinch, and I quickly turned back to Riley and Victoria.

Riley regarded me with a hint of suspicion as he noticed my interest in the apparently not-so-lonely vampire. I straightened out and smiled warily. Victoria stepped forward, 'Do you remember I told you about the one with the bronze hair?'

'The mind-reader'

'She's immune'

'It doesn't work on her?'

She nodded, 'But she's not immune to the future teller, so keep that in mind with your decisions sweetheart'

He nodded and his gaze drifted off thoughtfully. Even in the faint light I had to admit he was certainly handsome.

He turned to me, 'So you want to help us?'

'Uh, yeah. Whatever you need me for'

'Whys that? Nobody with half a head on their shoulders would willingly engage in this kind of thing'

Victoria threw me a tense look, and is shifted my weight and lowered my voice, 'I have a lot of bad blood with them,' _vague, brooding and technically true, keep it up girl,_ 'They took a lot from me' I threw in a far-off look for good measure.

He paused as if expecting me to elaborate, but seemed to decide against it, instead looking to Victoria with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded sternly, 'We can trust her'

With her affirmation he turned back to me and exhaled, 'In that case, you may be of great use to us if you can keep the mind-reader busy in the battle'

I didn't have to fake the sneer, 'Don't worry, I'll do much more than that to him if I get the chance'

He seemed satisfied, 'I'm Riley' He gave a small nod.

'Bella. Pleasure to meet you' my hand twitched with the instinct to reach out for a handshake, but I hesitated; the acidic purple haze still lingered in the air as a potent reminder of what he was capable of.

He looked amused; 'Yeah, I wouldn't recommend handshakes around here' He rolled up his sleeve, showing a ringed scar that ran around his arm just below the elbow. My eyes were immediately drawn to several dozen bite marks on his exposed forearm and I tensed instinctually before forcing myself to relax.

He let his scarred arm linger in the air for a second longer than he needed to.

I just smiled and nodded sympathetically.

He chuckled, although the smile didn't reach his eyes, 'It's all right; I'm big enough that I can take some hits and keep trucking. I'm sorry you had to see _that_,' he gestured back towards the courtyard and sighed, 'I don't usually finish anyone off, but she'd been walking on thin ice for a quite a while; that was just the last of her chances' he unconsciously rubbed several fresh looking scars on his wrist, still glistening with venom. Shifting his weight, he glanced back at the burning vampire with an expression I couldn't read.

His movements and the way he spoke seemed slow and relaxed, almost methodical. It was nothing like my own - and I assumed the other newborns - jerky, manic movements and speech patterns, or Victoria's languid, feline grace.

Victoria began telling the story she had spun regarding me being Laurent's mate and our recent meeting. Riley nodded every so often, but his face gave away nothing of his opinion on the matter.

When she finished, he pulled her in close and kissed her, and she returned it passionately. I was a little disturbed by how well she managed to pull it off.

With a peck on the cheek, she pulled away, 'It'll be light soon, I need to go,' before whispering goodbye to Riley, giving me a sharp nod, and then disappearing back the way we had came in.

Riley watched her leave and sighed, 'Well then Bella, _welcome to the army_'

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A/N I know, it has been stupidly long since i updated this. I'm the type of person that can bang out a two and a half thousand word chapter in a single evening, and then spend and absurd amount of time revising (This chapter alone was around 15+ rounds of revision). I also revised some of the earlier chapters - not in a major way that requires rereading, but just to give a more clear sense of character that i felt was lacking before. I have another two chapters completed and fully revised right now, with a third drafted, and will be releasing those soon, although with a few days in between so that i have a bit of a time buffer for continuing to write. Thank you so much for sticking with me all this time. Meg xx


	6. Life Raft

**Disclaimer: All the characters of the Twilight universe are the property of Stephenie Meyer. This is a work of fan-fiction and intended purely for the purpose of entertainment**.

* * *

The building they were staying in during the day made me wish I could make myself vomit, purely so that I could feel a little better. The stench of rot soaked the place, and every molecule of air in it. All the windows and vents had been solidly boarded or bricked over to keep sunlight out, which turned the area into a damp hotbox of viscera. What little patches of fresh blood that would usually make me fight for control over myself were completely soured by the stench of the place, something that, ironically, would probably only be mildly unpleasant to human senses.

The large male vampire, whom Riley had informed me, was named Fred, and the small mouse of a girl that shadowed him, Bree, had taken up residence in a far corner of the interior, around a threadbare couch. While Bree seemed contented with her small pile of books, Fred sat looking bored with headphones covering one ear, his gaze drifting from one vampire in the room to another.

The other seven newborns were spread about the space, giving Bree and Fred a noticeably wide berth, and every so often glanced at me with looks that ranged from curious, to downright deadly.

I felt like a child left at the playground without a mother all of a sudden, but did my best steel my nerves, as I would have to, everyday for the ten hours that it was light.

Thankfully, Riley led me over to a quiet corner and sat against the wall, before gesturing for me to sit with him.

I swept some of the dust away as lowered, which made Riley smile, and nestled against the wall next to him, just glad for someone willing to play nice.

'So where are you from Bella?' His tone was neutral, but some of the other vampires were visibly surprised to see him speaking to me so casually, as though they had sooner expected him to rip my head off than make small talk.

I saw no particular reason to lie. It wasn't like anyone from back home could really matter anymore, but just in case, I didn't want to be too specific, 'Here in Washington, out near Port Angeles'

A quick lesson from Victoria had taught me half-truths were the best way to lie. Not quite the truth, but close enough that you won't be caught out, or get tangled in your own web.

He raised an eyebrow and nodded approvingly, 'I'm from Forks, but I was studying at U-Dub when I ended up getting involved with all these wonderful folk' he gestured to the others milling about the space with a smile. Someone hissed back.

I arched an eyebrow, 'Forks?' As much as I might have liked to believe that was a coincidence, I wasn't stupid, and evidently Victoria wasn't either. Riley knew the area where the Cullens would likely make their stand.

He nodded, 'Yeah, pretty close to you huh? I used to love going to that nice bookstore in Port Angeles, what was it called?' he looked down thoughtfully, 'you know, the one on the corner of First and Lincoln?'

I made a show of pondering my answer, and then shook my head tentatively, 'I don't think there's a bookstore there' _I think we both know that there's no bookstore there_. So maybe the looks from the others had some merit after all.

He sighed and laid his head back against the wall, 'Ah, I must be getting muddled up. My memories from before are getting murkier by the day'.

I just smiled and nodded. Playing dumb to his traps might give me an edge, at least for the moment.

He sat perfectly still, smiling off into the room, eyes drifting from one vampire to the next. He scowled when he realized how many of them were eyeing me like I was a new toy to be played with.

Nudging my arm, he raised his voice a little so as to make sure the whole room heard, 'So, I'm told you know how to fight, Bella?'

Many of the hostile expressions suddenly melted to wariness and curiosity. Even Fred glanced up at the revelation that I wasn't just a random new recruit off the street.

I suppressed a smirk, with a crowd as dangerous as this one; I didn't see that as a moment to be humble, 'Sure, I can hold my own – although you're not too shabby yourself,' I gestured back to where we had entered, and the courtyard beyond.

'Thanks,' the corner of his mouth curled as he eyed the brunette from earlier who was still nursing her new scar, and immediately dropped her gaze, 'practice make perfect'.

One vampire in the crowd, who had been out hunting during the fight, narrowed his eyes at Riley. He was only young and rather short but stocky, with an unevenly shaved head that was almost bald in patches, and there were more than enough scars on the exposed skin of his neck and hands to act as a sure-fire warning to others.

The challenge between the two continued until a low rumbling growl built in Riley's chest, and the vampire curled his lip and turned away.

As the room settled down for the day, I noticed that the other vampires didn't talk much, with most of them just sitting around and staring off into space, reading books or listening to music. Many of them looked bored, and I assumed the lack of privacy that a room full of vampires provided was a bit of a conversation dampener.

The rest of the day passed in a miserable blur of anxiety and boredom, and once again my patience ran low. Riley asked me questions every now and then, although didn't seem massively interested in my answers.

I didn't move from my space against the wall for the entire time, simply doing my best to observe the few interactions that occurred and glean as much information as I could. By the time sunset came around, and Riley gave everyone the all clear to head back outside, I had mostly pinpointed everyone's names, as well as the troublemakers - the shaved one, called Raoul, and a young woman with sandy colored hair, called Kristie.

Fred and Bree were given a strangely wide zone to themselves the entire day; one that even Raoul and Kristie, who were quite obviously the two most dominant players in the group, didn't dare set foot in. It only succeeded in making multiplying my curiosity as to what the gift was that made them all so wary of him. None of them even seemed to want to look at him for whatever reason.

Riley split the group into two, with one going off to hunt in the city, chaperoned by him, and the other remaining behind. He nodded for me to stay with the others while he was gone.

Thankfully, Raoul and Kristie went with the hunters, leaving me alone with Fred, Bree and three others, all of who promptly disappeared off into the trees as soon as Riley was out of sight. Fred and Bree both vacated the building, leaving me alone in the darkness.

I released a breath I had been holding for what felt like the entire day and steadied myself.

For as awful as spending half of my time cooped up in there was, I had the other half to do pretty much whatever I wanted. And right then, I wanted to plan – to give myself something to work towards, and I had a pretty good idea of my first step; I needed safety.

This was a dangerous place; there was no doubt about it. If the fight and execution the previous night hadn't convinced me, then Raoul – rather impressively – managing to orchestrate several arguments between other vampires, without being involved himself certainly did. One of the conflicts had ended in someone getting an arm ripped off and Riley had to intervene when someone pulled out a lighter, much to Raoul's delight.

Here, it was very clear that I would not survive long enough to fight the Cullens unless I was smart. It was no wonder that Victoria had made sure that I was past my most volatile newborn phase, and trained to defend myself, before bringing me here.

Riley wasn't going to be around me much of the time, and hadn't seemed at all impressed with me during our little chats, so I doubted I could rely on him to keep me safe yet. I needed to find another means of protection - a life raft.

As I wandered outside, I began pacing in a wide arc around the building until I narrowed in on the scent I was searching for. I remembered it perfectly; having scented them on the way into the den several hours prior. It was weighty with the smell of vanilla and driftwood. Strangely for a vampire scent, it carried an undertone that verged on pungent, like the too-sweet smell of rotting vegetation. I followed around to the south side of the mill, where it took off sharply in into the trees.

A little ways inside the forest, away from the main cluster of buildings, Fred was leaning against the trunk of a tree that had apparently been decapitated during the saw-blade Frisbee several days ago.

The air was much clearer there, as a damp misty rain drifted through the forest, bringing the gift of fresh air and the lush smell of moss and plant life to wash away the stench of our dwelling. If the rain didn't work, then I would almost certainly go and find a stream to wash off in – the sour odour of rot clung to my hair and clothes like mothballs.

Bree was nowhere to be seen as I drew closer, although I wasn't surprised; the few hours I had spent in the building had made me unimaginably appreciative of the time I had been able to spend alone in the woods just after being turned. I could perfectly understand the quieter vampires wanting to spend their valuable hours of freedom that came with darkness, out in the wilderness on their own.

Fred faced away from my direction of approach, and I stepped on twigs and leaves in a deliberate attempt to not frighten him. He turned while I was still a few dozen yards away, as though he had expected me to follow him out there, and spoke with a surprisingly soft tone considering the way he had glared at me in the courtyard the previous night, 'Hello, Bella'

'Hello Fred'

He smiled warily, 'Would you care to take a walk with me?'

Nodding cautiously, I stopped a good fifteen yards away. Fred was easily a head taller than me, and although he was lean in stature, he could quite obviously crush me in a fight if he wished.

He smiled in acknowledgement of my caution and headed off at a jog, carefully keeping his distance. I followed in a parallel fashion, with neither of us showing our backs to the other.

The forest here was sparse and flat, with mostly new-growth trees and saplings jostling for light as they reached up from the rocky ground, suffocating each other with their roots. A few old growth trees that had rooted in places too bothersome to log were all that remained of the lush forest that had occupied the space a decade ago. The scent of diesel and oil was still faint in the air among the plant life; even several years after the logging operation had finished.

We slowed as we came upon a small bluff that overlooked a shallow valley, which snaked several miles to the ocean, and Fred stopped to gaze out at the view. He wasted no time in cutting to his point.

'Who are you really? The redhead obviously didn't poach you like the rest of us'

I hesitated, 'That's a complicated question,' Victoria had mentioned that the newborns were aware of other vampire clans and that they had claimed territories nearby, but they were not yet in the know about the upcoming fight with the Cullens. I made sure to give the same story as the one Riley had been told, word for word, 'I was created by a friend of hers'

'Why?'

I made a show of clamming up, 'It was a kindness, I guess. I was dying as a human, and he took pity on me. I think he hoped I would become a companion' _Half-truths._

His eyes softened, but he continued, 'And where is he now?'

I looked away and bit my lip, feigning a difficult topic.

Acting was certainly a skill that improved with my new fine muscular control, as I was quickly coming to learn. I made a filed away a mental note to be more cautious around anyone else who played me for sympathy. After all, if even _Bella Swan _could act as a vampire, then lord only knew how well someone experienced in manipulation could manage it – although I supposed I should have gathered that from my experiences at the hands of the Cullens.

'He strayed into someone else's territory about a week ago. They killed him'

He looked away, 'I'm sorry'

I nodded distantly.

He seemed to think for a moment, and then kicked at a rock with a sigh and returned his gaze to the horizon, 'Why would you come here? Surely its better to be alone than here?'

If he was thinking of running then that was not good, him and his gift might be the only thing that could keep me alive for the weeks or months before we fought with the Cullens.

I sighed, 'It's a death-sentence to be alone out there. It may not be much of a life, living somewhere like this, but it beats certain death'

_I need you to stay here._

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered the feeling of a fist clamping around my insides – a wrenching spark of guilt trying to take hold after the words left my mouth. I did my best to snuff it out. _I don't want to die._

His eyebrows knitted together, 'Is it really that dangerous?'

_You'd understand if you knew why I was doing this._

I nodded.

His face dropped slightly for a split second before returning to a stony facade, and he closed his eyes, leaning back against a tree.

The little flame in my gut persisted. _Change the subject_.

I waited politely for a moment and spoke softly, 'Are you gifted?'

His eyes flicked open with a scowl, 'Someone told you?'

'Not directly, but I gathered that you were. What can you do?'

Scrutinizing me for a moment, the scowl deepened, 'Why does it matter?'

'I'm just curious I guess'

He stared at me for a moment, and turned to leave, 'you're bright, I'm sure you'll figure it out on your own sooner or later'

I frowned. The apparent safety bubble around Fred was quite obviously powerful, considering how at ease he had seemed during our brief talk, and during his time in the vampire den – a quiet confidence that oozed _you can't touch me_. A part of me wondered if it was some kind of force field.

A sigh escaped me – _this approach isn't working_.

I called after him before he could vanish into the trees, and he turned as I jogged to him.

'I'm not... I'm just worried, okay? This place seems dangerous as hell, and you seem to be like, _invulnerable _or something. I had hoped to cozy up to Riley to stay safe, but he's…'

'A psychopath?'

I shrugged, 'I doubt he'll care about keeping me safe anytime soon'

His brows knitted together for a moment, and then he barked an amused laugh, 'So, you're asking me to be your damn bodyguard?'

'No, I just don't want to be caught out in the deep end, is all,' he regarded me with raised eyebrows. I exhaled and pressed on, 'We can call it friendship - or whatever. At least until I can, you know, establish a place in the hierarchy or something'

'_Unbelievable,_' he shook his head with an incredulous smile, 'you'll have no problem fitting in with the rest of them, that's for sure'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It means leave me alone,' he turned away, 'I don't _want _friends here'

'You hang around with Bree though'

'I said leave me alone Bella,' and with a dismissive shake of his head, he turned to leave again.

'Please Fred,' I gently grasped his wrist, 'Just for a little while, until I can look after myself, I promise'

He froze. A flash of of alarm and confusion etched into his features as he stared at the spot where I had touched him, as though I had done the impossible. His eyes drifted up to my face, and I quickly withdrew my hand with an apologetic look.

'How the hell did you-' He took a cautious step back, before retreating into the forest, '_you stay the hell away from me, Bella_'

With a blur, he disappeared into the rain, leaving me alone on the bluff. The rain had soaked me to the bone, and I sighed. _It wasn't even that much to ask._

The rest of the night was spent alone in the forest. I briefly caught Bree's scent an hour or two after Fred had left, although thought better of trying to follow it. She hadn't struck me as a people person either, and if Fred was protective of her, then the last thing I wanted to do was make her feel threatened, and further dampen any chances of a future accord with Fred.

The temperature had dropped quickly in the hours following sunset, and a thin veil of frost had covered much of the surrounding area, bathing the sparse forest in a peaceful, ethereal glow – one that was sharply contrasted by the den of death that had been nested in the nearby buildings.

As I returned to the complex half and hour before dawn, I could hear that the vampires from the hunting party had returned, and were already bickering away, freshly fueled with blood.

The next option for me was to find a way into Riley's good books, and that would almost certainly put me at odds with some of the more aggressive vampires.

I took one last breath of fresh air and braced myself for another day crammed inside with them.

Riley smiled wearily as he saw me, but didn't gesture me over. He looked tired, and the deep purple bruises that had settled underneath his eyes had grown a shade darker since I last saw him. The burgundy of his eyes was fading to black at the edges.

I smiled in return and sat down nearby, 'How was hunting?'

He pursed his lips and threw a look at Raoul, who made no attempt to hide his smirk. He spoke through gritted teeth, 'Busy'

With as warm of a smile as I could manage, 'you look like you're run ragged'

He chuckled quietly, 'No rest for the wicked'

'Victoria said I might be able to lend a hand; maybe I could you help out tomorrow?'

He looked at me with surprise, 'Seriously?'

Several of the others in the room glanced my way with looks of unveiled contempt that made me want to curl away in a corner.

It took all I had to keep my voice from catching in my throat, 'Sure'

Kristie cursed and spat out a low hiss, but Raoul just looked me over with a cruel gaze, and after a moment, began quietly chuckling to himself. _The sharks are circling._

* * *

A/N Don't worry, character development will be a thing in this story. I've had a bit of a crappy week with Job applications, so the next chapter may not come out for a week or so as I've been a little out of it recently - although I am getting better at writing longer chapters so thumbs up on that front. Thank you as always for reading. I really appreciate the kind words Ray Star Hinamori, so an extra thanks to you :) Meg xx


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